Category: Groups and Activities

The Community Larder is well underway, with lots of wonderful fresh produce, dry goods, ready meals and essential items. The morning team are busy receiving donations and unloading and displaying purchases and the afternoon team serve customers and arrange delivery of boxes to those households that are self-isolating.

We would like to thank the following for their help and generous donations: Dalehead Foods Linton, Russell Smith Farms, Fare Share, Tesco, Mary’s Greengrocer in Sawston and of course all our wonderful coordinators, volunteers and the many generous parishioners who donated cash and goods – amazing effort from everyone!

The wonderful new community centre that has had to be mothballed pending the removal of the Covid-19 restrictions came into its own, providing the perfect venue with plenty of space and car parking for the Community Larder.

The larder operates every Tuesday and Friday. The community centre is open for donations between 10am and 11:15am and open for customers from 1:30pm until 3pm.

Everyone is welcome to come and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to pick up some groceries. Those that can, are invited to make a donation – either on line, by bank transfer, cheque or in cash. If you need a box delivered, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

We are always looking for volunteers, so please get in touch by emailing your contact details to duxford.covid@gmail.com, or by clicking on the ‘contact us’ tab above. Thank you.

In recent years many
Cambridgeshire community and parish newsletters, magazines and websites have helped
with a County-wide survey of Spotted Flycatchers. These are attractive migrant
birds, about the size of a Robin, which are summer visitors to village gardens
and churchyards. Although they breed with us, they spend up to nine months of
the year travelling as much as 16,000 miles a year between here and their
wintering grounds in Southern Africa – Angola and Namibia. This is an
increasingly dangerous journey for them, and sadly they are in deep decline.
Widespread losses amounted to a 50% decline during 1995-2010, continuing an 90%
decline since 1970.

Only a few hundred pairs
remain breeding in Cambridgeshire, but most villages still have a pair or two;
they rarely breed out in the wider countryside. We are continuing our work to
find and monitor nesting pairs. It’s almost certain that there are many
additional pairs out there of which we are not aware.

Do you have flycatchers
in your garden? Will you see one this year, or have you in recent years? The
few that remain are here from mid-May to September. And there’s lots more to
read about our project and Spotted Flycatchers in general at

A campaign to urgently boost the number of people fostering to support children across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough during the coronavirus crisis has been launched.

The number of people enquiring about becoming foster carers has dipped, with the immediate need being for teenagers, children with additional needs and sibling groups.

Both Cambridgeshire County Council and Peterborough City Council are launching a ‘Call for Action’ urging people who can help to change the lives of children and young people to become foster carers and provide loving, supportive homes as demand for the service increases.

During COVID-19, we are taking all the necessary steps during the fostering process to follow the government advice, for example, we can conduct initial visits virtually and have made arrangements to do so. If your application progresses then we will discuss the next stages with you which will include a face to face visit as part of the assessment process, this will adhere to the social distancing rules at all times.

People who believe they can make a positive difference to a child’s life are encouraged to contact their council today. All carers receive training, 24 hour access to support, along with allowances. As a foster carer you need to have the time, patience and determination to support and help vulnerable children and young people who are living away from their families. You will need to be over 21 and have a spare bedroom in your home.

Double bag black bin waste if suffering symptoms

The Greater Cambridge Shared Waste
Service has also published advice on handling waste if your household
is displaying symptoms of Coronavirus.

If you’re experiencing the main symptoms
– a new, continuous cough and/or a high temperature – please be
very careful when disposing of your personal waste (including used
tissues and disposable cleaning cloths/wipes) at home. The advice for
disposal of this waste is as follows:

It
should be put in a plastic rubbish bag and tied when full

The
plastic bag should then be placed in a second bin bag and tied

It
should be kept separate from other waste in suitable secure place on
your property for 72 hours before being placed in the black bin as
normal

The principle behind this method is that
after 72 hours outside the body, the virus is no longer viable. This
approach will help keep bin collection crews as safe as possible.

Other household rubbish and recycling
should be treated as normal.

If you or anyone in your home is
self-isolating or is confirmed as having Coronvirus, Cambridgeshire
County Council are politely asking that you do not go to any of their
Household Recycling Centres.

Residents who experience any
waste-related difficulties during this period are asked to email
waste@scambs.gov.uk
or call 03450 450 063. Please note that it may take longer than usual
to receive a response as the service adapts to different working
practices.

The DUXCOVID working party is supported by the Parish Council, to ensure that people can access help safely and securely.

The support group operates a Community Larder from the new Community Centre – there is a copy of the leaflet on the home page (scroll down), or see separate post

If you are self-isolating and vulnerable and need assistance with collecting medication, shopping etc., CORRECT NUMBER TO CALL IS 07783 388 724 and leave a message with your name, street and telephone number. One of the team will call you back within 12 hours.

CORRECT NUMBER TO TEXT IS 07867 560 394

If you are able to offer help, please email your details, including any particular skills you have, to: Duxford.covid@gmail.com